[access-uk] Re: Charity for blind hits out at Bromley council (From News Shopper)

From: <Clive.Lever@xxxxxxxxxxx>

To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2011 13:46:47 -0000

The implication is that if others tackle spending the way Bromley do, we
could all find it harder to get access to equipment that we regularly
discuss on here.
Best,
Clive
Clive Lever
Diversity Advisor
01622 221163 (extension 7000 1163) Room 1.15, Sessions House, County
Hall, Maidstone, ME14 1XQ.
Diversity is a strength and we will value and harness difference for the
benefit of all service users, the individual and KCC.
-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Ankers, Dave (UK)
Sent: 11 January 2011 12:00
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Charity for blind hits out at Bromley council
(From News Shopper)
Clive,
Is this really the forum for a political debate?
As much as I like politics, and as someone who is being directly
affected by current decision making, this isn't the place to discuss it.
Cheers
Dave
Hi all,
I was at a conference on digital inclusion in December for B C A B. The
Cabinet office were bigging up the Big Society. The charities were
dubbing it: "Big society, little money!" For those of you who know the
term, the approach of sloping the responsibility off onto the charities
could put progress on adopting the principles of the social model of
disability back a decade or two. This is the model where we get away
from the idea of disabled people as passive recipients of care and
charity, and move towards empowerment of disabled people to control
their own lives and to be viewed as independent citizens.
Best,
Clive
Clive Lever
Diversity Advisor
01622 221163 (extension 7000 1163) Room 1.15, Sessions House, County
Hall, Maidstone, ME14 1XQ.
Diversity is a strength and we will value and harness difference for the
benefit of all service users, the individual and KCC.
-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of John G
Sent: 11 January 2011 10:37
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Charity for blind hits out at Bromley council
(From News Shopper)
the idea being that government funding is replaced by donations from
fellow citizens, probably the same people who can't afford to pay off
their utility bills.
big society, big con more like.
At 10:21 11/01/2011, you wrote:
>What's this got to do with the "Big Society"?
>
>Regards
>
>Dave Ankers
>
>Here we go then, the big society - my arse!
>
>
> Site Logo<http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/resources/images/1000734/>
>
>
>Charity for blind hits out at Bromley council
>
>
>1:18pm Monday 10th January 2011
>
>By David Mills
>
>A CHARITY which represents the blind and visually impaired has hit out
>at Bromley Council <http://www.bromley.gov.uk/Default.bromley> for
>temporarily suspending equipment provision.
>
>Services which include the talking books, as well as equipment such as
>walking canes and liquid level indicators, are all under review by the
>council.
>
>Kent Association for the Blind (KAB), which has a sight centre in Blyth
>Road, Bromley, will be pressuring the council to continue providing
>funding.
>
>Dick Groves, aged 65, of South View, Bromley, said: "Visual impairment
>is the most feared of all sensory impairments. Provision in Bromley is
>extremely patchy."
>
>Mr Groves, who is blind, said: "This is a classic example of the way in
>which action has been taken without consultation and without
information
>being given to one of the weakest sections of society and least able to
>respond."
>
> Kent Association for the Blind's Bromley
>branch<http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/resources/images/1536532/>
>
>A KAB spokesman said: "We are currently in contact with our service
>users to explain the service has been temporarily suspended by the
>London borough of Bromley.
>
>"We are sharing other providers of these services such as the Calibre
>audio library, a completely free service, to ensure users are not going
>to go without talking books.
>
>"We at KAB are going to be making representations to the council to
>press the case that it would be more cost effective to continue to fund
>provision because we believe withdrawing that service represents a real
>risk to people's safety and their ability to get out and about.
>
>"The costs that could be generated by injury would far outweigh the
cost
>to the council of providing equipment."
>
>A council spokesman said: "We have a strong commitment to providing
>talking books in our libraries with no plans to cut the service and we
>will continue to make special concessions to waive charges to people
>with a registered visual impairment.
>
>"We have however moved from cassettes to CDs and downloadable material
>over the years but we still keep a large collection of older cassettes
>in our Home Library Service, which supports customers who are
physically
>unable to get into a branch.
>
>"There are also free national talking book service and as well as our
>library service we will be assisting people to access the talking books
>from the national Calibre service together with the equipment provided
>by the British Wireless for the Blind Fund.
>
>"To make sure we make the best use of our resource we wanted to avoid
>duplication and whilst we no longer fund the KAB talking books service,
>KAB is pointing people to our library and to these free services.
>
>"In terms of equipment supplied by the KAB on our behalf such as
>portable lamps, talking clocks and mobility aids, again we want to make
>sure we use resources as efficiently as possible and have suspended
this
>KAB while we carry out a review.
>
>"However we do continue to fund KAB to provide assessment and
>rehabilitation services for people with visual impairments."
>
>Back <javascript:history.go(-1);>
>
>(c) Copyright 2001-2011 Newsquest Media Group
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>
>
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